U.S. patent number 8,471,697 [Application Number 12/646,487] was granted by the patent office on 2013-06-25 for systems and methods for remote patient monitoring.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Mindray DS USA, Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Scott Eaton, Susan Hebert, John Judy, Sondra Kaufman, Joe Petruzzelli, Cadathur Rajagopalan. Invention is credited to Scott Eaton, Susan Hebert, John Judy, Sondra Kaufman, Joe Petruzzelli, Cadathur Rajagopalan.
United States Patent |
8,471,697 |
Judy , et al. |
June 25, 2013 |
Systems and methods for remote patient monitoring
Abstract
A system includes a local patient monitor and a plurality of
remote patient monitors. The local patient monitor may display a
plurality of physiological parameters for a local patient. The
local patient monitor may further display a remote monitoring
interface with the local patient's physiological parameters. The
remote monitoring interface may include a plurality of status icons
respectively representing the plurality of remote patient monitors.
In one embodiment, the local patient monitor receives alarm
information from a first remote patient monitor indicating that one
or more physiological parameters for a remote patient are outside
of a determined range. The alarm information may include, for
example, location information for the remote patient and an alarm
condition indicated by the one or more physiological parameters.
The local patient monitor may display the alarm information within
the remote monitoring interface.
Inventors: |
Judy; John (Glen Rock, NJ),
Petruzzelli; Joe (Paramus, NJ), Rajagopalan; Cadathur
(Dumont, NJ), Eaton; Scott (Briarcliff Manor, NY),
Kaufman; Sondra (Ramsey, NJ), Hebert; Susan (Lake
Hiawatha, NJ) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Judy; John
Petruzzelli; Joe
Rajagopalan; Cadathur
Eaton; Scott
Kaufman; Sondra
Hebert; Susan |
Glen Rock
Paramus
Dumont
Briarcliff Manor
Ramsey
Lake Hiawatha |
NJ
NJ
NJ
NY
NJ
NJ |
US
US
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Mindray DS USA, Inc. (Mahwah,
NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
44150231 |
Appl.
No.: |
12/646,487 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2009 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20110148622 A1 |
Jun 23, 2011 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
340/539.12;
340/573.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G16H
40/67 (20180101); A61B 5/7425 (20130101); A61B
5/742 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G08B
1/08 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;340/539.1,539.11,539.12,573.1 ;600/300,301,365 ;604/65,67
;128/204.23,204.24 ;707/965,803 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Trieu; Van T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Christensen; Kory D. Stoel Rives
LLP
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a local patient monitor, a
plurality of physiological parameters for a local patient from one
or more local sensors; displaying, on the local patient monitor, a
patient monitoring interface comprising the plurality of
physiological parameters; displaying, on the local patient monitor,
a remote monitoring interface along with the patient monitoring
interface, the remote monitoring interface comprising a plurality
of status icons respectively representing a status of each of a
plurality of remote patient monitors; receiving, at the local
patient monitor, alarm information from a first remote patient
monitor indicating that one or more physiological parameters for a
remote patient are outside of a determined range, the alarm
information including location information for the remote patient
and an alarm condition indicated by the one or more physiological
parameters; and displaying, on the local patient monitor, the alarm
information within the remote monitoring interface.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving alarm
information from a second remote patient monitor; and displaying
the alarm information from the second patient monitor with the
alarm information from the first patient monitor in the remote
monitoring interface.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising: dividing the remote
monitoring interface between displaying the alarm information from
the first and second remote patient monitors.
4. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving third alarm
information from a third remote patient monitor; and displaying the
third alarm information with the first and second alarm information
in the remote monitoring interface.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: dividing the remote
monitoring interface between displaying the alarm information from
the first, second, and third remote patient monitors.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm information from the
first remote patient monitor fills substantially all of remote
monitoring interface.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein each status icon in the remote
monitoring interface indicates a remote monitoring status for a
corresponding remote patient monitor.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that an active connection exists between the local
patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that alarm information is being blocked by a
corresponding remote patient monitor.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that no signal is being received by a corresponding
remote patient monitor.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that display of alarm information from a corresponding
remote patient monitor cannot be blocked at the local patient
monitor except by a person with particular access rights.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that an active connection exists between the local
patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor, but
alarm information is being blocked by the corresponding remote
patient monitor.
13. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that an active connection exists between the local
patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor and that
display of alarm information from the corresponding remote patient
monitor cannot be blocked at the local patient monitor except by a
person with particular access rights.
14. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one status icon
indicates that an active connection exists between the local
patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor and that
display of alarm information from the corresponding remote patient
monitor cannot be blocked at the local patient monitor except by a
person with particular access rights, but alarm information is
being blocked by the corresponding remote patient monitor.
15. The method of claim 7, wherein least one remote monitoring
status indicates no signal is being received by a corresponding
remote patient monitor and that alarm information is being blocked
by the corresponding remote patient monitor.
16. The method of claim 7, wherein least one remote monitoring
status indicates no signal is being received by a corresponding
remote patient monitor and that display of alarm information from
the corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be blocked at the
local patient monitor except by a person with particular access
rights.
17. The method of claim 7, wherein least one remote monitoring
status indicates no signal is being received by a corresponding
remote patient monitor and that display of alarm information from
the corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be blocked at the
local patient monitor except by a person with particular access
rights, but alarm information is being blocked by the corresponding
remote patient monitor.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information
comprises an indication of a hospital bed.
19. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying within
the remote monitoring interface an indication of whether alarm
information from the local patient monitor is being sent to one or
more remote patient monitors.
20. The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying a
notification in the remote monitoring interface that alarm
information from more than a determined number of remote patient
monitors has been received.
21. A patient monitoring system comprising: a local patient monitor
and a plurality of remote patient monitors, wherein the local
patient monitor comprises: a parameter acquisition unit to acquire
physiological parameters from one or more local sensors for a local
patient; a user interface unit to display a patient monitoring
interface concurrently with a remote monitoring interface, the
patient monitoring interface comprising the physiological
parameters and the remote monitoring interface comprising a
plurality of status icons respectively representing a status of
each of the plurality of remote patient monitors; and an alarm unit
to receive alarm information from a first remote patient monitor
indicating that one or more physiological parameters for a remote
patient are outside of a determined range, the alarm information
including location information for the remote patient and an alarm
condition indicated by the one or more physiological parameters;
wherein the user interface unit is to display the alarm information
within the remote monitoring interface.
22. The patient monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the alarm
unit is further to receive alarm information from a second remote
patient monitor; and wherein the user interface unit is further to
displaying the alarm information from the second patient monitor
with the alarm information from the first patient monitor in the
remote monitoring interface.
23. The patient monitoring system of claim 22 wherein the user
interface unit is to divide the remote monitoring interface between
displaying the alarm information from the first and second remote
patient monitors.
24. The patient monitoring system of claim 22, wherein the alarm
unit is further to receive alarm information from a third remote
patient monitor; and wherein the user interface unit is further to
display the third alarm information with the first and second alarm
information in the remote monitoring interface.
25. The patient monitoring system of claim 24, wherein the user
interface unit is further to divide the remote monitoring interface
between displaying the alarm information from the first, second,
and third remote patient monitors.
26. The patient monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the alarm
information from the first remote patient monitor fills
substantially all of remote monitoring interface.
27. The patient monitoring system of claim 21, wherein each status
icon in the remote monitoring interface indicates a remote
monitoring status for a corresponding remote patient monitor.
28. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that an active connection exists between the
local patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient
monitor.
29. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that alarm information is being blocked by a
corresponding remote patient monitor.
30. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that no signal is being received by a
corresponding remote patient monitor.
31. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that display of alarm information from a
corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be blocked at the local
patient monitor except by a person with particular access
rights.
32. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that an active connection exists between the
local patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor,
but alarm information is being blocked by the corresponding remote
patient monitor.
33. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that an active connection exists between the
local patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor
and that display of alarm information from the corresponding remote
patient monitor cannot be blocked at the local patient monitor
except by a person with particular access rights.
34. The patient monitoring system claim 27, wherein at least one
status icon indicates that an active connection exists between the
local patient monitor and a corresponding remote patient monitor
and that display of alarm information from the corresponding remote
patient monitor cannot be blocked at the local patient monitor
except by a person with particular access rights, but alarm
information is being blocked by the corresponding remote patient
monitor.
35. The patient monitoring system of claim 27, wherein least one
remote monitoring status indicates no signal is being received by a
corresponding remote patient monitor and that alarm information is
being blocked by the corresponding remote patient monitor.
36. The patient monitoring system of claim 27, wherein least one
remote monitoring status indicates no signal is being received by a
corresponding remote patient monitor and that display of alarm
information from the corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be
blocked at the local patient monitor except by a person with
particular access rights.
37. The patient monitoring system of claim 27, wherein least one
remote monitoring status indicates no signal is being received by a
corresponding remote patient monitor and that display of alarm
information from the corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be
blocked at the local patient monitor except by a person with
particular access rights, but alarm information is being blocked by
the corresponding remote patient monitor.
38. The patient monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the location
information comprises an indication of a hospital bed.
39. The patient monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the user
interface unit is to display within the remote monitoring interface
an indication of whether alarm information from the local patient
monitor is being sent to one or more remote patient monitors.
40. The patient monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the user
interface unit is to display a notification in the remote
monitoring interface that alarm information from more than a
determined number of remote patient monitors has been received.
41. A computer-readable medium comprising program code for causing
a computer to perform a method for remotely monitoring patients,
the method comprising: receiving, at a local patient monitor, a
plurality of physiological parameters for a local patient from one
or more local sensors; displaying, on the local patient monitor, a
patient monitoring interface comprising the plurality of
physiological parameters; displaying, on the local patient monitor,
a remote monitoring interface along with the patient monitoring
interface, the remote monitoring interface comprising a plurality
of status icons respectively representing a status of each of a
plurality of remote patient monitors; receiving, at the local
patient monitor, alarm information from a first remote patient
monitor indicating that one or more physiological parameters for a
remote patient are outside of a determined range, the alarm
information including location information for the remote patient
and an alarm condition indicated by the one or more physiological
parameters; and displaying, on the local patient monitor, the alarm
information within the remote monitoring interface.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure relates to patient monitors.
BRIEF SUMMARY
A system according to one embodiment includes a local patient
monitor and a plurality of remote patient monitors. The local
patient monitor may display a plurality of physiological parameters
for a local patient. The local patient monitor may further display
a remote monitoring interface with the local patient's
physiological parameters. The remote monitoring interface may
include a plurality of status icons respectively representing a
remote monitoring status for each of the plurality of remote
patient monitors.
In one embodiment, the local patient monitor receives alarm
information from a first remote patient monitor indicating that one
or more physiological parameters for a remote patient are outside
of a determined range. The alarm information may include, for
example, location information for the remote patient, as well as an
alarm condition indicated by the one or more physiological
parameters. The local patient monitor may display the alarm
information within the remote monitoring interface.
Additional aspects will be apparent from the following detailed
description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a patient monitoring system according
to one embodiment.
FIG. 2 graphically illustrates an alarm configuration interface
according to one embodiment.
FIG. 3 graphically illustrates a patient parameter interface
according to one embodiment.
FIG. 4 graphically illustrates a remote monitoring interface
according to one embodiment.
FIG. 5 graphically illustrates a remote monitoring configuration
interface according to one embodiment.
FIGS. 6A-6C graphically illustrate the remote monitoring interface
of FIG. 4 displaying alarm information received from one or more
remote patient monitors.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for remote patient monitoring
according to one embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a patient monitoring system
according to one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Patient monitors are used to analyze and display physiological
parameters obtained from sensors attached to a patient. The
physiological parameters may include, for example, pulse,
temperature, respiration, blood pressure, blood oxygen,
electrocardiogram, etc. Often, patient monitors are configured to
notify an attending doctor or nurse (hereafter "medical
practitioner") if the parameters exceed a limit or are outside of a
particular range. For example, if the patient monitor detects that
the patient's blood pressure is too low or too high, it may
generate a visual and/or audible alarm.
In most hospitals, a medical practitioner is responsible for
several patients, many of whom may be in different rooms or wards.
Accordingly, it is difficult or impossible for a single medical
practitioner to be physically present at every patient monitor to
notice the alarms. Simply broadcasting alarms among a group of
networked patient monitors is not a complete solution. For example,
the medical practitioner might not be aware that a remote patient
monitor has malfunctioned or become disconnected and is no longer
transmitting alarms. No solution currently exists for providing a
medical practitioner with a complete view of the alarm status of
remote patient monitors. These and other problems are addressed by
the present disclosure.
In one embodiment, a local patient monitor may display a plurality
of physiological parameters for a local patient. In addition, the
local patient monitor may display a remote monitoring interface
along with the local patient's physiological parameters. The remote
monitoring interface may include a plurality of status icons
respectively representing a plurality of remote patient
monitors.
Each status icon may graphically indicate a remote monitoring
status of a respective remote patient monitor. For example, one
status icon may indicate an active connection exists between the
local patient monitor and the corresponding remote patient monitor.
Another status icon may indicate that alarm information is being
blocked at the source by the corresponding remote patient monitor.
Yet another status icon may indicate that no signal is being
received by the corresponding remote patient monitor. Still another
status icon may indicate that display of alarm information from a
corresponding remote patient monitor is locked, i.e., cannot be
blocked at the local patient monitor except by a person with
particular access rights. As described in greater detail below,
various combinations of the foregoing may be indicated by the
status icons in the remote monitoring interface.
In one embodiment, the local patient monitor may receive alarm
information from a first remote patient monitor indicating that one
or more physiological parameters for a remote patient are outside
of a determined range. The alarm information may include, for
example, location information (e.g., bed or room number) for the
remote patient, as well as an alarm condition (e.g., tachycardia)
indicated by the one or more physiological parameters. The local
patient monitor may display the alarm information within the remote
monitoring interface, optionally overlaying some or all of the
status icons.
In one embodiment, the displayed alarm information fills
substantially all of the remote monitoring interface. However, in
certain instances, the local patient monitor may receive alarm
information from a second remote patient monitor, while it is
displaying alarm information from the first remote patient monitor
in the remote monitoring interface. In such a case, the remote
monitoring interface may be divided between displaying the alarm
information from the first and second patient monitors (e.g., each
may fill substantially half of the remote monitoring interface). In
the case of the local patient monitor receiving alarm information
from a third patient monitor, the remote monitoring interface may
be divided between displaying alarm information from the first,
second, and third patient monitors (e.g., each may fill
substantially a third of the remote monitoring interface).
In one configuration, the remote monitoring interface may display a
notification that alarm information from more than a determined
number of remote patient monitors (e.g., three or more) has been
received, and may allow the user to selectively display alarm
information that cannot be simultaneously displayed in the remote
monitoring interface for space reasons. The remote monitoring
interface may also display an indication of whether alarm
information from the local patient monitor is being sent to one or
more remote patient monitors.
The embodiments of the disclosure will be best understood by
reference to the drawings, wherein like elements are designated by
like numerals throughout. In the following description, numerous
specific details are provided for a thorough understanding of the
embodiments described herein. However, those of skill in the art
will recognize that one or more of the specific details may be
omitted, or other methods, components, or materials may be used. In
some cases, operations are not shown or described in detail in
order to avoid obscuring more important aspects of the
disclosure.
Furthermore, the described features, operations, or characteristics
may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
It will also be readily understood that the order of the steps or
actions of the methods described in connection with the embodiments
disclosed may be changed as would be apparent to those skilled in
the art. Thus, any order in the drawings or detailed description is
for illustrative purposes only and is not meant to imply a required
order, unless specified to require an order.
Embodiments may include various steps, which may be embodied in
machine-executable instructions to be executed by a general-purpose
or special-purpose computer or other electronic device.
Alternatively, the steps may be performed by hardware components
that include specific logic for performing the steps or by a
combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware.
Embodiments may also be provided as a computer program product
including a computer-readable medium having stored thereon
instructions that may be used to program a computer or other
electronic device to perform the processes described herein. The
computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to: hard
drives, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, ROMs,
RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, solid-state
memory devices, or other types of media/computer-readable medium
suitable for storing electronic instructions.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a
patient monitoring system 100 according to one embodiment. The
patient monitoring system 100 may include a plurality of patient
monitors 122, 124, 126, which analyze and display physiological
parameters, such as pulse, temperature, respiration, blood
pressure, blood oxygen, electrocardiogram, and the like. The
patient monitors 122, 124, 126 may be configured to communicate
with each other through a network 128, such as a hospital's local
area network (LAN) or the Internet.
In certain embodiments, a patient monitor (e.g., patient monitor
122) may be connected to the network 128 through a docking station
130, 132. The docking station 130, 132 may allow the patient
monitor 122 to be easily removed and transported between different
locations in a hospital or other medical facility. In the example
embodiment of FIG. 1, the patient monitor 122 may be configured to
be selectively coupled with, and selectively decoupled from, any of
the respective docking stations 130, 132.
For illustrative purposes, the patient monitor 122 is shown as
being coupled to docking station 130. In certain embodiments, the
docking stations 130, 132 provide the respective patient monitor
122 with power and/or a connection to the network 128. Accordingly,
the docking station 130 is illustrated as including a power
interface 133 and a network interface 134. The power interface 133
may be configured to convert an alternating current (AC) power
signal to a direct current (DC) power signal and/or provide power
signal conditioning for the coupled patient monitor 122. The
network interface 134 may include, for example, an Ethernet
communication controller to allow the coupled patient monitor 122
to communicate to the network 128 through the docking station 130.
The network interface 134 may be associated with an identifying
address, such as media access control (MAC) address.
In certain embodiments, the docking station 130 may also include a
memory device 136. The memory device 136 may include non-volatile
random access memory (RAM) that provides addressable storage and
may be used in certain embodiments to store configuration data,
historical patient parameter data, or the like.
The patient monitor 122, according to the example embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 1, includes a processor 140, a display device
142, a memory device 144, a communication device 146, a power
module 148, a parameter acquisition unit 150, a user interface unit
152, and an alarm unit 154. The processor 140 is configured to
process patient data signals received through the parameter
acquisition unit 150 and to display the patient data signals (e.g.,
as waveforms and/or numerical values) on the display device 142.
The parameter acquisition unit 150 receives the patient data
signals from one or more sensors attached to a patient (not shown).
The parameter acquisition unit 150 may be configured to process the
acquired patient data signals in cooperation with the processor
140. The patient monitor 122 may store the patient data signals in
the memory device 144 along with other data. For example, the
patient monitor 122 may store a current set of configuration
settings in the memory device 144.
In one embodiment, the communication device 146 is configured to
communicate with the network 128 through the network interface 134
of the docking station 130, or directly if no docking station 130
is available. For example, in certain embodiments, the
communication device 146 may be configured to wirelessly
communicate with the network 128 when the patient monitor 122 is
not coupled to any of the docking stations 130, 132. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, the patient monitor 124 automatically establishes a
wireless communication link 156 with the network 128 as a user
transports the patient monitor 124 between docking stations 130,
132.
The power module 148 receives a power signal from the power
interface 133 of the docking station 130. The power module 148
provides any necessary power conversions and distributes power
throughout the patient monitor 122. The power module 148 may
include a battery that is charged through the power interface 133
while the patient monitor 122 is coupled to the docking station
130.
The user interface unit 152, in cooperation with the processor 140
and the display device 142, may be configured to process and format
the acquired physiological parameters for display in a graphical
user interface (GUI). As described in greater detail below, the
user interface unit 152 may also be configured to display
physiological parameters from another monitor via a remote
monitoring interface (not shown).
The alarm unit 154 may be configured to generate audible and/or
visual alarms when physiological parameters for a local patient are
outside of a determined range. As described in greater detail
below, the alarm unit 154 may also be configured to receive alarm
information from one or more remote patient monitors. The alarm
information may include, for example, location information for the
remote patient and an alarm condition indicated by the one or more
physiological parameters for a remote patient that are outside of a
determined range. The alarm unit 154, in cooperation with the
processor 140, display device 142, and user interface unit 152, may
display the alarm information within the remote monitoring
interface, as described hereafter.
An artisan will recognize from the disclosure herein that the
parameter acquisition unit 150, user interface unit 152, and/or
alarm unit 154 may be combined with the processor 140 into a single
unit. Further, the processor 140, parameter acquisition unit 150,
user interface unit 152, and/or alarm unit 154, either combined or
separately, may include a special purpose processor configured to
perform the processes described herein. In another embodiment, the
processor 140, parameter acquisition unit 150, user interface unit
152, and/or alarm unit 154, either combined or separately, may
include a general purpose processor configured to execute
computer-executable instructions (e.g., stored in a
computer-readable medium, such as the memory device 144) to perform
the processes described herein.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary alarm configuration interface 200
for setting alarm conditions within a patient monitor, such as the
patient monitor 122 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, a medical
practitioner may specify safe ranges for various physiological
parameters, outside of which an alarm should be triggered. For
instance, the user may specify that an alarm should be triggered if
a patient's systolic pressure exceeds 180 or drops below 80, or if
the patient's diastolic pressure is greater than 100 or less than
50. For certain parameters, the term "range" may be represented as
a single value, such as an upper or lower limit. Some alarms may be
triggered by a combination of parameters being within particular
ranges and/or exceeding or being lower than particular
thresholds.
In one embodiment, the alarm configuration interface 200 may
include a visual representation of various controls or inputs, such
as sliders 202 or keypads 204, for specifying safe and/or unsafe
ranges for specified parameters. The range data may be stored, in
one embodiment, in the memory device 144 shown in FIG. 1. The
configuration of alarms typically occurs on the local patient
monitor and each remote patient monitor.
FIG. 3 illustrates a patient parameter interface 300 according to
one embodiment. The patient parameter interface 300 may display
waveforms and/or numerical values for a plurality of physiological
parameters acquired by the parameter acquisition unit 150 of FIG.
1.
As previously noted, a medical practitioner is typically
responsible for multiple patients, many of whom may be in different
rooms or wards. Accordingly, it is difficult or impossible for a
single medical practitioner to be physically present at every
patient monitor. Accordingly, in one embodiment, a local patient
monitor, such as the patent monitor 122 of FIG. 1, may receive
alarm information via the network 128 from a plurality of remote
patient monitors 124, 126. The alarm information may include a
location (e.g., bed or room number) of the patient, as well as an
alarm condition (e.g., tachycardia) triggered by physiological
parameters being monitored by the remote patient monitors 124,
126.
The local patient monitor 122 may also receive status information
indicative of the remote monitoring status of each of the remote
patient monitors 124, 126 accessible via the network 128. The alarm
and status information may be displayed, in one embodiment, within
a remote monitoring interface 302, which may be displayed with, or
within, the patient parameter interface 300. In the illustrated
embodiment, the remote monitoring interface 302 may be a region or
"tile" within the patient parameter interface 300.
Referring to FIG. 4, in one operational mode, the remote monitoring
interface 302 may display a plurality of status icons graphically
indicating the remote monitoring status of a respective remote
patient monitor. For example, one status icon 402 may indicate an
active connection (communication link) exists between the local
patient monitor and the corresponding remote patient monitor. In
the example embodiment, the status icon 402 may be represented as a
solid shape, such as a rounded rectangle, having a suitable color
(e.g., green) to graphically indicate an active/non-alarm
status.
Another status icon 404 may indicate that a connection between the
local and remote patient monitor is active, but that alarm
information is being blocked at the source by the remote patient
monitor. This may occur, for example, when a medical practitioner
needs to disconnect the sensors from a patient while performing
tests. To avoid triggering an alarm, the medical practitioner may
temporarily block outgoing alarms from the remote patient monitor.
In one embodiment, the status icon 404 may be represented as an "X"
that overlays one of the other status icons described in connection
with FIG. 4.
Yet another status icon 406 may indicate that no signal is being
received from the corresponding remote patient monitor. This may
occur when the remote patient monitor has malfunctioned, has been
accidentally or intentionally disconnected from the network, has
been powered down, etc. The status icon 404 may be represented, in
one embodiment, as an outline of the same shape as status icon
402.
Still another status icon 408 may indicate that the display of
alarm information from a corresponding remote patient monitor
cannot be blocked at the local patient monitor except by a person
with particular access rights. Referring also to FIG. 5, there is
shown a remote monitoring configuration interface 500 for allowing
a medical practitioner to specify which remote patient monitors are
to be represented within the remote monitoring interface 302 of
FIG. 3. The remote monitoring configuration interface 500 may
provide various controls, such as an "add bed" control 502, for
adding a status icon representing a selected remote patient
monitor, and a "remove bed" control 504 for removing a status icon
representing a selected remote patient monitor. In one embodiment,
alarm information for a remote patient monitor is only displayed
when a corresponding status icon is shown within the remote
monitoring interface 302.
In one embodiment, the ability to remove status icons from the
remote monitoring interface 302 via the "remove bed" control 504
may be restricted based on access rights. For example, in some
hospitals, a nurse supervisor may want to "lock" certain status
icons, such that other medical practitioners cannot delete them
from the remote monitoring interface 302. This may be accomplished,
in one embodiment, by activating a "lock" button 506 in connection
with the "add bed" button 502. In order to subsequently remove a
"locked" status icon, a user may have to specify a password or
otherwise establish sufficient access rights. Of course, various
other methods and user interface controls may be used by a skilled
artisan to accomplish similar purposes.
Referring again to FIG. 4, various combinations of the foregoing
status icons may be provided in one embodiment. For example, one
status icon 410 may indicate that an active connection exists
between the local patient monitor and the corresponding remote
patient monitor and that display of alarm information from the
corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be blocked at the local
patient monitor except by a person with particular access rights,
but that alarm information is being blocked at the source.
Another status icon 412 may indicate that no signal is being
received by a corresponding remote patient monitor and that alarm
information is being blocked by the corresponding remote patient
monitor. Still another status icon 414 may indicate that no signal
is being received by a corresponding remote patient monitor and
that display of alarm information from the corresponding remote
patient monitor cannot be blocked at the local patient monitor
except by a person with particular access rights. Yet another
status icon 416 may indicate that no signal is being received by a
corresponding remote patient monitor and that display of alarm
information from the corresponding remote patient monitor cannot be
blocked at the local patient monitor except by a person with
particular access rights, but that alarm information is being
blocked by the corresponding remote patient monitor.
In one embodiment, the remote monitoring interface 302 may display
a message, icon, or other suitable indication 418 when alarm
information from the local patient monitor is being blocked, i.e.,
is not being sent to one or more remote patient monitors. For
example, in FIG. 4, the message "outgoing blocked" may be used for
this purpose. In one embodiment, the remote monitoring
configuration interface 500 of FIG. 5 may include a "block
outgoing" button 508 to enable blocking of outgoing alarm
information.
With continuing reference to FIG. 5, the remote monitoring
configuration interface 500 may further include a "block incoming"
button 510 to block incoming alarm information from one or more
remote patient monitors. The remote monitoring configuration
interface 500 may also include a "response" button 512 for
tailoring how the alarm information from remote patient monitors is
to be conveyed to the user of the local patient monitor. Various
options may include pop-up windows, audible alerts, and/or a visual
notification within the remote monitoring interface 300, as
described in greater detail below.
Those of skill in the art will recognize that the remote monitoring
interface disclosed above may present to a medical practitioner a
complete view of the status of each patient monitor for which the
medical practitioner is responsible. The medical practitioner can
determine at a glance whether any of the patient monitors, for
which he or she is responsible, is active, disconnected, blocked,
or locked, or any combination of the foregoing. Thus, combined with
the facility for displaying alarm information from the remote
patient monitors, as detailed hereafter, the medical practitioner
need not be physically present at each of the remote patient
monitors in order to provide the requisite level of care for each
patient.
FIG. 6A illustrates one manner in which alarm information from a
remote patient monitor may be displayed within the remote
monitoring interface 302. In one embodiment, the local patient
monitor may receive alarm information from a first remote patient
monitor indicating that one or more physiological parameters for a
remote patient are outside of a predetermined range. The alarm
information may include, for example, location information 602
(e.g., bed or room number) for the remote patient and an alarm
condition 604 (e.g., tachycardia) indicated by the one or more
Physiological parameters.
As used herein, the location information 602 may include any
indicator or reference to the patient, his or her physical
location, and/or the patient monitor associated with the patient.
The location information 602 might be represented, in one
embodiment, by contextual information, such as position of an icon,
rather than an explicit identifier.
In certain embodiments, the alarm condition 604 may be represented
by an indication of severity rather than a specific medical
condition. For instance, the alarm condition 604 may be color coded
(e.g., red is most severe, white is least severe) based on
different degrees of severity so that the medical practitioner can
decide the level of response needed for the alarm condition
604.
Thus, a skilled artisan will recognize that references to
"location" and "condition" in the disclosure and claims need not be
limited to specific locations and specific conditions, but, rather,
information that helps to locate the patient and information that
helps to judge the severity of the condition and/or the level of
response required.
The location information 602 and alarm condition 604 may be
displayed within an icon that fills substantially all of remote
monitoring interface, partially or completely overlaying the status
icons of FIG. 4 in one embodiment. The icon may be displayed in a
particular color (e.g., red) that contrasts the color (e.g., green)
of the status icon 402 of FIG. 4. Display of the alarm information
in the remote monitoring interface may be accompanied by other
forms of visual or audible alerts to draw the medical
practitioner's attention to the remote monitoring interface.
In certain instances, the local patient monitor may receive
multiple sets of alarm information at approximately the same time
or receive alarm information from a second remote patient monitor
before an alarm triggered on a first patient monitor has been
silenced. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 6B, the remote
monitoring interface 302 may display both sets of alarm
information, dividing itself between displaying the alarm
information from the first and second patient monitors (e.g., each
may fill substantially half of the remote monitoring interface
302). In the case of the local patient monitor receiving alarm
information from a third patient monitor, the remote monitoring
interface 302 may be divided between displaying alarm information
from the first, second, and third patient monitors (e.g., each may
fill substantially a third of the remote monitoring interface).
Depending on the size of the remote monitoring interface 302, it
may be difficult to display more than two sets of alarm
information. Accordingly, in one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6C, a
"show all" button 606 may be provided. In one embodiment, pressing
the "show all" button 606 may enlarge the remote monitoring
interface 302 to overlay a greater proportion of the patient
parameter interface 300 of FIG. 3. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the
remote monitoring interface 302 is restricted to a small panel or
"tile" within the patient parameter interface 300. Pressing the
"show all" button 606 may cause all or some of the patient
parameters and/or patient monitoring controls to be obscured by the
alarm information.
In an alternative embodiment, when the number of concurrent sets of
alarm information exceed a determined threshold, the remote
monitoring interface 302 may cycle between different sets of alarm
information in groups of two or more at a time with some additional
indication (color, special icon, sound, etc.) informing the medical
practitioner that not all sets of alarm information are being
currently displayed.
Alarms may be silenced by a "silence" button 304 (shown in FIG. 3)
or the like. In one embodiment, as alarms are silenced on the
various remote patient monitors, the corresponding sets of alarm
information may be removed from the remote monitoring interface
302. When all of the alarms have been silenced, the remote
monitoring interface 302 may resume displaying the status icons, as
illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method 700 for remote
patient monitoring. At step 702, a local patient monitor may obtain
physiological parameters from a local patient via one or more
sensors. At step 704, the local patient monitor may display the
physiological parameters in a patient parameter interface.
At step 706, the patient monitor may obtain a remote monitoring
status from each of a plurality of remote patient monitors. At step
708, the patient monitor may display a remote monitoring interface
with the local patient's physiological parameters. The remote
monitoring interface may include icons respectively representing
the remote monitoring status of a remote patient monitor.
At step 710, the patient monitor may receive alarm information from
a first remote patient monitor indicating that one or more
physiological parameters for a remote patient are outside of a
determined range. The alarm information may include location
information (e.g., bed or room number), as well as an indication of
an alarm condition (e.g., tachycardia). At step 712, the patient
monitor may display the alarm information within the remote
monitoring interface.
At step 714, the patient monitor may receive alarm information from
a second remote patient monitor. At step 716, the patient monitor
may divide the remote monitoring interface between displaying alarm
information for the first and second remote patient monitors.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a patient monitoring system 800
according to one embodiment. The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is
provided by way of example and an artisan will understand from the
disclosure that any portable patient monitoring system may be used
with the embodiments disclosed herein. The system 800 includes a
patient monitor 122 and a docking station 130. The patient monitor
122 can be configured to selectively couple with and decouple from
the docking station 130. The coupling between the patient monitor
122 and the docking station 130 can be mechanical, electrical,
optical, and/or any other suitable variety. For example, the
coupling can be for physical union, power transfer, and/or
communication.
The patient monitor 122 may include one or more gripping regions
810, 812 that are configured to aid in coupling and decoupling the
patient monitor 122 from the docking station 130. For example, a
medical practitioner 814 can firmly grasp with his or her hands
816, 818 the gripping regions 810, 812 during removal of the
patient monitor 122 from the docking station 130. When the patient
monitor 122 is separated from the docking station 130, the full
weight of the patient monitor 122 can be supported by a grip of the
medical practitioner 814 on the gripping regions 810, 812.
The patient monitoring system 800 may include one or more actuators
(not shown) which, when actuated, permit release of the patient
monitor 122 from the docking station 130. The actuators can be
integrated into the gripping regions 810, 812 or other portions of
the patient monitor 122, so as to permit for convenient and
continuous-movement dismounting of the patient monitor 122. For
example, in some embodiments, a practitioner 814 can actuate an
actuator using a hand 816, 818 while that hand 816, 818 is
simultaneously holding a respective gripping region 810, 812.
In FIG. 8, the patient monitor 122 is illustrated as having been
removed from the docking station 130. A front surface of the
patient monitor 122 can include a display device 142 that is
configured to display information in a visually perceivable format.
The display device 142 may be of any suitable variety, including
those presently known and those yet to be devised. For example, the
display device 142 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD)
panel. In some embodiments, the display device 142 may be
configured to receive information or otherwise interact with a
medical practitioner. For example, the display device 142 may
include a touch screen.
In some embodiments, the display device 142 is configured to
display information in a predetermined orientation that correlates
with a docking orientation of the patient monitor 122. Information
can be displayed on the display device 142 in an upright
orientation when the patient monitor 122 is coupled with the
docking station 130. For example, in the configuration depicted in
FIG. 8, text, graphs, or other information can be displayed via the
screen 142 in a "portrait" orientation that is natural for
reading.
The patient monitor 122 may include one or more ports for receiving
or delivering information, which can include one or more serial
ports, USB ports, Ethernet ports, DVI ports, or any other suitable
variety of ports, interfaces, or connectors. In some embodiments,
information received via one or more of the ports can be displayed
on the screen 142.
At least a portion of the information displayed by the patient
monitor 122 may represent information received from a patient or
that otherwise relates to the patient. For example, in some
embodiments, one or more sensors (not shown) are connected to the
patient to sense a particular parameter, and information obtained
via the one or more sensors. The sensors may deliver information to
the patient monitor 122 via one or more cables (not shown)
connected to one or more ports.
The patient monitor 122 may be configured to both mechanically and
electrically couple with the docking station 130. The patient
monitor 122 may receive power from the docking station 130, which
itself can receive power from a power source (not shown) via a
power line or cord. The power source may include, for example, the
AC wiring of a hospital.
The docking station 130 may be mounted in a substantially fixed
position. For example, the docking station 130 may be rigidly
mounted to a wall within a hospital room in a single position by
one or more plates, brackets, screws, bolts, or other mounting
hardware and attachment devices. As another example, the docking
station 130 may be configured to transition among multiple fixed
positions. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the docking
station 130 is coupled to a mounting strip 822, which is in turn
mounted to a wall (not shown) of a hospital room. The docking
station 130 is capable of being adjusted upward or downward along a
path constrained by one or more channels defined by the mounting
strip 822 so as to transition among a variety of positions. In each
such position, the docking station 130 can be fixed relative to the
mounting strip 822. In some embodiments, the docking station 130 is
coupled with the mounting strip 822 via a mounting plate or a
mounting bracket (not shown), the position of which can be adjusted
upward or downward within the channels in any suitable manner.
In other embodiments, the docking station 130 may be secured to a
hospital bed (not shown), a mechanical arm (not shown), or any
other suitable object. In some embodiments, a bottom surface of the
docking station 130 is positioned at a height of from about five
feet to about six feet above a floor of a hospital room, so as to
allow the patient monitor 122 to be viewed easily and/or to avoid
interference with other objects in the room.
It will be understood by those having skill in the art that many
changes may be made to the details of the above-described
embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the
invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be
determined only by the following claims.
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